Trying Something New at Pho *

I love trying new foods, when I get the chance, and when I heard about a new Vietnamese restaurant opening on Bold Street, I knew I had to check it out. So I made a booking, grabbed my friend and headed off to see what Pho had to offer. 
When we arrived we were greeted by the lovely Codie, who showed us over to our table and gave us a brief introduction to the world of Pho, as I had never tried Vietnamese food before. She left us to settle in and have a look at the menu.    The menu was incredible, was something there for everyone, whether you had tried pho before or not, the drinks section was great too, it took a while for us to decide what we wanted due to the vast array of choices but we settled on a lemonade and a pineapple, apple and mint juice, and they both tasted delicious , we got through a few each they were that good.

After our drinks we were brought a plate of prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce to nibble on whilst we decided what to eat. The prawn crackers did not last long. When it came to ordering the food, we knew we had to go all out because everything looked so delicious. For starters we had the seasoned  crispy chicken wings served with sriracha (Canh Ga) and Homemade pork and lemongrass meatballs with lettece and herbs to wrap and dips.

These starters were incredible as soon as we started eating them we knew we loved them. The meatballs were full of flavor, and then when wrapped in lettuce and dipped in the peanut sauce was incredible. The crispy chicken wings were something else, we both immediately fell in love with them from the bite, they were so good we were considering ordering another plate. i would definitely recommend them if you ever visit. You will not be disappointed.
When it came to the main course I knew I wanted to try Pho, but there was so much choice it took me a while to decide hat to go for, eventually I decided on the Chicken breast in chicken stock Pho (Pho Ga) and I opted to add pieces of steak to my bowl. (It was a good choice) My friend chose the Shredded chicken salad with Asian herbs, peppers and a chilli ginger dressing.

To say they not only looked but smelled amazing when they arrived would be a massive understatement. The salad was so colourful and it was matched by how vibrant the flavours were. The chicken and steak pho I ordered was a perfect introduction to Vietnamese Pho, and I was not disappointed, the broth was incredibly flavoured, the noodles were silky and the meat was cooked perfectly, it was real comfort food, and I could happily go back and order it again.
 Once we had finished our meals, our lovely server Codie came ove and talked to us all about how Pho came to be and the history around the food which was really interesting to hear how much history and culture goes into making food. When it came to ordering dessert we were more than happy to oblige. I am not one to miss out on dessert. We chose the Pandan pancake with roasted coconut served with ice cream (Banh La Dua) and the Chocolate truffle slab served with ice cream (Banh so-co-la Truffle).

 
They were both incredibly delicious that we did genuinely want to ask for more, but we knew we wouldn't be able to move if we did that so one was enough. After our meal we were truly full from everything Pho had to offer, we ordered a couple more drinks and chatted before saying thank you and goodbye to the lovely staff who were amazing and looked after us really well. It is fair to say that I am fan of Pho now and would happily go back for a second round. If you want something new to try I highly recommend trying Pho, you will not be disappointed.

Write again soon xxx
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Giveaway : Geekerella - Ashley Poston

Hey Everyone! Today I will be telling you about Geekerella by Ashley Poston, and I am giving you fair warning now, I am a major fangirl over this novel , now you have been warned so dont freak out when I post my review next week, also if you keep reading till the end there is a Giveaway of a copy of the book and a limited edition candle. (It smells great!)

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

This book seems so perfectly written for anyone who has ever loved a series so much that it is almost there life, ie Buffy, Doctor Who, Star Trek or even Firefly. I even got the amazing Author Ashley Poston to talk about what it was like trying to create the TV Show that the plot revolves around, this is what she had to say.

Starfield: The Unimagined Frontier

By Ashley Poston

It is a not-so-secret fact that I love sci-fi. Be it Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, or don’t-you-dare-talk-about-leafs-on-the-wind Firefly, if it has space in it? I’m there faster than the Enterprise at warp speed. So, it only felt natural to put my favorite bits of everything I loved into Starfield.

At first, it was a daunting task. What did I want the universe of Starfield to look like? How did I want it to act? What did I want the show to mean to the theoretical fans who watched it? The last question I answered first—I wanted Starfield to mean that anything was possible. That there was no such thing as zero-odds. That cosmic dragons, no matter how big they seemed, could be defeated. I also wanted Starfield to be a critique on most sci-fi shows that are littered with white male leads (and admittedly, while I was crafting Starfield I was still raging over the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Kahn in Star Trek Into Darkness. Yes, I know it’s been years but no I will not make like Elsa and let it go). In the TV show Starfield, Prince Carmindor is played by an Indian-American, and that’s a big part of one of the main character’s draw to the fandom. I took the best of everything I loved about Star Trek—the command bridge, the Prime Directive, the show’s legacy on television—and combined it with what I loved about Firefly—the rogueishness, the witty banter—and the power play in Battlestar Galactica, along with the gun-slinging epic adventure of Mass Effect, one of my favorite video game series.

While crafting Starfield, I created episode summaries, character designs, mission statements. I crafted seasonal villains who are never mentioned in the book, designs for alien species and the complicated political nuances between them and the universe at large. The quotes found at the beginning of each section header are inspired from witty Mal one-liners in Firefly, and each episode title is a pun on a film title. Basically, I just went wild and had fun. I let myself imagine the kind of show that could draw two people together who could not be more different, and once I found out how to do that, the rest was easy.

And it helps, really, when your show’s biggest fans are the characters already in your head.

Now the fun bit, the Giveaway. With the release of Geekerella I will be giving away a copy of the book and a Limited edition candle (which smells amazing!) The giveaway will run until the 4th of April, the book's release date and I will contact the winner and pass their details onto the publisher who will send you the prizes. To Enter all you have to do is, follow me on twitter and like the giveaway tweet. Good Luck!  My review of Geekerella will be posted next week so watch out for that. Write again soon xxx Twitter / Bloglovin'

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Things I Wish Could Tell My Younger Self

Im the one in the middle

Hey everyone! This is a bit of an impromptu post, as I having a conversation with one of my best friends and we were talking about what we would tell younger ourselves if we could go back in time, and it was something I had never really thought of before, and I thought it would be a fun thing to reflect and write about. Here are the things I wish I could tell my younger self. 1. Stop worrying about what people think of you
I struggled for so long worrying about peoples opinions of me and how they saw me, whether they liked me or not, it is such a stupid thing to worry about when you're young and it can make you change the person you are to "fit in". Stopping caring about what others thought of me is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.  2. Stop worrying about your first kiss
Oh wow hello teenage me, who worries about this constantly.Asking myself questions like...  Who is going to be my first kiss ? Am I going to like it/him ? Will I do it right? I wish i could go back and shake her and tell her its literally nothing to worry about, if anything its pretty basic, and with the guy, yes you liked him so chill out! Its not the end of the world that you hadn't had your first kiss yet. 
3. High school drama means nothing!
Ugh! The one thing everyone is guaranteed to experience whichever school you went to, there was always drama! Especially in an all girls school. Cliques, who was friends with who, who was gossiping about something new. Literally none of that matter when you leave honestly. I remember being so scared because of who I was sitting with at lunch that I hid in one of the computer rooms. It was so stupid that I ever had to do that. I look back now and just shake my head at how much you think high school drama is the end of the world.   4. You went to University and got a Degree!
Okay a nice one now, that I would just love to go back in time to tell little me this so I could see the look on her face. I had always wanted to go to university from a very young age, I don't know why but i always had my head set on university and to be able to tell her that she did it, now has a degree and is going back for her Master's degree in London would have been the best news ever.  5.Boys arent scary
Okay going to an all girls school definitely limits you from contact with boys for a very long time, around 7-8 years for me, so of course when the majority of my interactions every single day were with girls, boys become a little alien, so going to university and moving in with boys, they seemed so other. I didnt know how to interact with them so I was very quiet around them for a while. But oh my god there is no need to be! Boys are great, some of your best friends are boys and you have even dated a few and I wouldn't have it any other way. They have been a shoulder to cry on, an influence around alcohol resulting in a night filled with laughs and cards against humanity, someone to make you feel special and your first friends at university so I promise you boys are not scary.  6.Take care of yourself
I cant stress this one enough. I'm going to be honest here, you never took care of yourself growing up and that has took me until now to realise, you always put other before you, and yes that is a great thing but sometimes you need to make sure you are okay too. Your health and mental health took a very big hit because of it and that took time to heal so please take care of yourself, even if it is just little things as saying no to something you actually don't want to do but feel like you have to because you feel like someone wont like you because of it. You will thank me for it later. I promise.
7. Don't let people try to tell you who are
All through my life I have had people try to telling who I am, and this has come from family, friends and strangers alike. People telling me that I'm this or that type of person. They don't mean anything by it but that effects the way you view yourself, throughout school people described me as quiet and naive, and I'm not, I'm really not. But hearing this so many times made me think it was true and that what so damaging for me and my confidence. Like if someone tried to describe me as quiet now, I would just laugh that is the oppisite of what I am, and naive? I am not, I am experienced, smart and I know what I'm doing so how can I naive? You know who you are, dont let people try to convice you otherwise.   
8. You are not prude, you're demisexual there's a difference.

Where do I start. From the ages of 15-20 years old I was called prude, and still till this day i cannot stand whenever someone calls me that. Okay younger Holly, when your friends start having conversation about sex and start playing never have I ever and you don't want to take part because you're not interested THAT'S OKAY .  Don't listen to them when they all call you boring or a prude that is not what your are at all! You are Demisexual there is a difference, so ignore all those people they clearly don't matter enough for you to worry about.
9.Just because someone is your friend now doesn't mean they will be in the future, so be careful.
This is something I had to learn the hard way. During my life I have lost two best friends for different reasons, and you cannot help that, some drift away and some you realise were not good for you. It's difficult to realise that someone you think will always be in your life can actually not be, is strange and sometimes you cannot do anything about it. Just try and watch out for the people who wear fake smiles around you.
10. You will find people who love and accept you, for who you are. 
The most important one. For the majority of my life I have always felt left out, like an outsider on everything and honestly growing up feeling that way is horrible. But if I could tell my younger self anything it would be that soon you find yourself surrounded by people that love you for you and they make you feel included and wouldn't want to change anything about you. These people have come from school, university, work and blogging! And let me tell you one thing, they never let you feel alone. So hang in there, I promise these people are on there way.
There you go these are some of things I wish I could tell little Holly, hearing these things would have definitely helped me growing up, I wonder how different my life would be now if I had known these things. Oh well, the things i have gone through have made me the person I am today, and I quite like that person. 
Write again soon xxx
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#LIVEFROMTHEDOCK

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of a brand new television channel all about my home city : Liverpool. Made In Liverpool, is a brand new TV channel on Sky dedicated to everything Liverpool and so to be invited to be a part of their launch night was incredible. 
The event itself was held at Panam, on the docks, it was a great location for the night, almost paying homage to its history as This Morning used to be filmed there when it was located in Liverpool. The night consisted of interviews, food, drink, magic and music. 
Upon arrival, I got to meet Fran, the woman who invited me to the event. She was in charge of all of the marketing that had gone into the event, Getting to hear everything that had been done to make that night happen was really interesting. I later got to meet the other blogger who would be coming along: the lovely Hannah at Tink Jayne Adventures. It was so lovely to meet her and get the chance to talk to her throughout the night, and if you by any chance watched the launch, you might have seen us in the background of the shots. 
The programme showcased to amazing things Liverpool has to offer, from theatre, football, shopping, culture and music. The night was a full celebration of everything Liverpool and I am so incredibly happy that I got to be a part of it, if only for the night. 
The night was an outright success and everyone seemed to have a great time, I had a wonderful evening and got to meet some amazing people and even got a chance to have a go in a photobooth or two. The Made In Liverpool channel is available now in the Liverpool area on sky channel 117, and honestly its really great if you ever want to find out more about the city and whats going on. 
Write again soon x 
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Relativity I Review

Relativity by Antonia Hayes Published 17th January 2017
" Ethan is an exceptionally gifted young boy, obsessed with physics and astronomy. His single mother, Claire, is fiercely protective of her brilliant vulnerable son. But she cant shield him for ever from learning the truth about what happened to him when he was a baby; why Mark had to leave them all those years ago. Now age twelve, Ethan is increasingly curious about his past, especially his father's absence in his life. When he intercepts a letter to Claire from Mark, he opens a lifetime of feelings that, like gravity, will pull the three together again."
When I was offered the chance to read this book, for this blog tour, I immediately said yes. The premise of the novel seemed so intriguing and through reading the book, it certainly delivered. 
The novel follows Claire, and her son Ethan, who is exceptionally gifted with an exquisite interest in physic and astronomy, although his gift has its own dark history. Everything they know gets turned upside down when Ethan's absent father, Mark appears in their lives.
"Relativity" was the first novel I read this year, and it really surprised me. I really enjoyed the book, it was a very compelling read, that brought to light many adult themes about grief, guilt and parenting. It had a very heartfelt tone underlying the plot of the relationship between Claire, Ethan and Mark. With the intertwining of snippets of the past to help to narrate the history of the family that plays center stage in the novel, you really feel for the characters in the novel and everything that happens to them.
 I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and it was quite an easy read once you get into the book. Its definitely a novel I would recommend everyone should read at some point in their life.

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Have I Lost My Creative Mojo?

There are times when I feel like I'm losing my creativity. 2016 has felt like that throughout even though I have had loads of opportunities and times where i have been creative, I feel like this year I have lost my mojo.
I have always thought of myself as being a creative person. I am a writer, a dancer, singer a musician, an artist (albeit not a good one) But that side of me has halted this year for some reason and I don't know why. If anything this is the year I should have been the most creative I have ever been.
 It was the last half of my final year in university studying creative writing so I was writing poetry, scripts and fiction left, right and centre, trying my best to blog whenever I could.I have been a terrible blogger this year and it has made me so upset, because I love blogging. I have barely even picked up my ukulele in comparison to last year, I have barely even danced, and for me that is heartbreaking that is something I have been doing my whole life, and with singing, I have wanted to write my own songs for years and I said to myself this year I would, but i haven't written  a single lyric. So what has happened to me. Why am I not creative anymore?
I had so many plans for this year, creative wise. It was going to be the year I finally start writing a novel I have had in my head for a long time. I wanted to work on some original music and maybe even start a youtube channel. 
If anything this lack of creativity this year has really made me want to push myself to be creative next year, becuase being creative is something that brings me so much joy, I cant even explain it. 
Honestly being creative is part of who I am ,and this year I have felt kind of lost with a lot of aspects with my life and maybe my creatvity has just gone along side it.  If anything all this has proven to me that I really need to push myself when I am in a block otherwise I will never get out of it.
Do you have any advice for getting out of a creative rut? Let me know.
Write again soon x
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Review : Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I've been in a reading slump lately, goodness only knows why so when Quirk books contacted me asking if I would like to review Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Honestly I jumped at the chance. It is a book that I had nothing but praise for, and it had been on my to buy list for year not unfortunately never got round to getting it. The recent Tim Burton Adaptation was definitely a great push to make me want to read this book more, especially when the cast and the concept art is so magnificent you immediately get pulled into this peculiar world. This book did not disappoint.
The novel follows the story of a young boy called Jacob and how he is suspicious of something supernatural happening in the world when he witnesses his Grandfather die bizarrely but nobody will believe him, and so he delves into his grandfathers past to try and discover what could have happened to him and his discoveries take him to Wales, he comes across some Peculiar people. I wont say any more as I dont want to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read it. I thoroughly recommend you do. 
Even though I was aware of the hype around this book, I went into it with an open mind, as too not have ruined by expectations and honestly now that i have read it I can understand it all. It is so incredibly written. You're immediately drawn into the narrative and thrown head first into a peculiar world where everything is not what it seems. I really enjoyed the characters and getting to learn all about them and their peculiarities.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was different from what I normally read, but I really liked that about it, all the pictures that were included throughout the book were incredible to look and especially since they link in with the narrative of the story. I found it so easy to get into and get through, I think I finished it in about a day, I was so engrossed. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys the supernatural genre or lets say Tim Burton as he has directed the film adaptation of the novel, so it definitelt has a Tim Burton feels to it. I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed. Now I need to see the film and read the sequel! 
If you have read it let me know what you think!
Write again soon!  x

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